At the same time, under the midnight glow of the moon, a group of adventurers from Debror gathered around a campfire in the forest, taking turns keeping watch or resting. However, among them, five adventurers were nursing injuries.

 

Why were five of them injured? Their wounds couldn't be fully healed by potions alone, so they resorted to makeshift bandages, enduring the pain while nursing their wounds. Despite their injuries, they groaned in discomfort, unable to find relief.

 

Suddenly, one of them, fed up with the situation, stood up and raised his voice.

 

"Ugh, seriously!! Could you guys shut up already?! Your groaning is keeping me awake! Shut your traps!!"

 

Upon hearing this, one of the heavily wounded men rose, adopting a confrontational stance in front of the agitated individual.

 

"What did you say, punk?! Despite being at death's door, you've got the nerve to mouth off at me? Huh?"

 

The surrounding companions reacted in various ways to the altercation. Those keeping watch turned their heads, while those asleep stirred, observing the unfolding scene. Some, clearly irritated, turned away, signaling their reluctance to get involved.

 

Ignoring the reactions around them, the two men continued to exude hostility toward each other.

 

"A lowlife like you? Don't make me laugh. Let's see who wins between me, unscathed, and you, carrying those wounds. And compared to the weapon-wielding woman you were up against earlier, you're nothing to be afraid of!"

 

With these words, the underdog sneered arrogantly, drawing his sword in preparation for a confrontation.

 

"It seems like you're itching to be killed by me…"

 

He, too, his face contorted in anger, then readied his spear, emitting an aura so menacing it conveyed his genuine intent to kill.

 

"Stop it, both of you! This is not the time for such nonsense!"

 

At that moment, a man clad in mithril armor intervened, causing both parties to halt their confrontation.

 

"Tch! Lucky break," one of them muttered.

 

"You might be the one who's a liability," the other retorted.

 

"What did you say? Say that again!"

 

"I said stop it, you idiots!"

 

The mithril-clad man stepped in between them, urging them to cease their altercation.

 

This man, wearing mithril armor, was none other than Shurai, the former vice-guild master of Debror.

 

"Listen up, you two! Now's not the time for infighting! Remember, we're being pursued by the kingdom! If we cause a commotion here, soldiers might come looking for us, and we'll lose the cooperation we promised all the way to the border! I won't let anyone forget that!"

 

Upon hearing his words, the two men silently lowered their weapons. However, their attention shifted when another member, who had been tending to the fire, suddenly stood up, slamming his fist into the ground.

 

"Damn it! I can't take this anymore! I'm out of here!"

 

"Wait, Ves! Calm down!"

 

Addressed as Ves, the man's face twisted in anger as he began to speak to Shurai.

 

"What do you mean, calm down? This is all your fault! What do you mean it'll work out this time? What kind of lucrative job is this? We were outnumbered when the plan got exposed, and we lost comrades to that white-haired woman! When we tried to return to Gozeth, we almost got caught. And to top it off, we used up all the potions to no avail... How are you going to take responsibility for this mess?"

 

As Ves spoke, other adventurers, their faces contorted in anger, closed in on him.

 

"What's with you, Ves? You were the one who said, before we left, that once we got the money, we'd buy good weapons and armor, and then enjoy ourselves with plenty of women. You were so eager, laughing about it... You didn't forget that, did you?"

 

"And you, weren't you boasting about how lucky you were to have three women at once? You said you'd enjoy life to the fullest as long as you're alive. You warned us not to touch them, didn't you?"

 

Seeing the situation turning grim, Ves took a step back and, with strained effort, began to speak again.

 

"W-Wait, guys... Y-You didn't expect things to turn out like this, did you? And don't you think it's strange that we're being chased so persistently? Maybe Debror's big brother has hidden something from us regarding this job? What do you say, Vice-Guild Master?"

 

As Ves looked at Shurai, the other adventurers also turned their gaze towards him.

 

"I... I haven't heard any details. But..."

 

"But?"

 

"A few days ago, I happened to see the guild master and Grubert talking in the guild. It felt suspicious, so I hid and eavesdropped. They were talking like this..."

 

Shurai's voice trailed off as he recounted what he had overheard.

Upon hearing the conversation, the companions displayed bewildered expressions, but Beth was different.

"There you have it! Debtor is just using us for something, making us do such thankless jobs! That's why I'm out! See ya!" Beth turned to walk in the opposite direction, but Shuray stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Wait a minute, Beth! Are you really planning to leave? Where do you intend to go if you leave here?" Shuray interjected with a sense of urgency, but Beth turned her face towards Shuray, glaring at him and brushing him off.

"Shut up! Where I go and what I do is none of your business, right!? Besides, it's more dangerous to be with the least trustworthy guy! I'd rather trust some random bandits around here than be with you guys!! And that's it, Debtor might as well be dissolved... See ya."

Beth continued walking into the depths of the forest without looking back, leaving Shuray and the others to watch silently until she disappeared from view.

"That Beth, she really left. Vice Guildmaster, was what she said earlier true?" one of the adventurers asked Shuray, who began to explain honestly.

"Yeah, I didn't tell Beth, but the Guildmaster himself started acting strange about four days ago, getting increasingly erratic to the point of lashing out at those around him today. And before we took on this job, the Guildmaster told us, 'Make sure to succeed in this job. If you fail, I'll kill all of you.' That's how serious it was. What do you think about this?"

Shuray, the former Vice Guildmaster, asked for the adventurer's opinion.

"The Guildmaster only gets that worked up when it's about failing a lucrative job, right? It's weird for him to get so worked up even before the job starts."

"...You think so too, huh?"

"Yeah, it seems like we might have been set up by Debtor... By the way, isn't it late for the patrol team to not have returned yet?"

"Come to think of it, you're right. It's way past the shift change, and they're not back yet... Something happened to them?"

The patrol team, made up of remnants of Debtor's faction, was supposed to alternate shifts, but the pair who went on patrol hadn't returned even after their shift ended.

Other adventurers started speculating, "Did they sell us out? Did they get attacked by monsters?" and so on.

"Well, never mind. Kazal and Rad, weren't you two up next? While you're on patrol, go find those two," the Vice Guildmaster said.

With that instruction, the two responded and began to arm themselves.

"That won't be necessary. [Rock Spear]!!" With those words, spears of stone pierced the heads of the two, causing them to fall like cut strings of a puppet.

"Whoa, who did that!?"

As the Vice Guildmaster turned towards the direction the attack came from, a figure cloaked in the darkness of the night appeared, palms pressed together in front of their face, speaking to the Vice Guildmaster in a different tone from before.

"Oh my, we just met the other day, didn't we?"

"You... Leviath!? Why are you doing this!?"

Leviath responded, now crossing his arms unlike before. "Why? What a foolish question. I've come to hold you accountable for the failure of your mission."

The former Vice Guildmaster, now filled with anger, retorted while looking at Leviath.

"Accountable? Don't make me laugh! After putting us through all this... You, I'll kill you!!"

The Vice Guildmaster and the four adventurers brandished their weapons and charged, but Leviath remained eerily composed, raising his right hand.

"Oh dear, how foolish of you all to come straight at me. [Firewall]!"

"Screaaaam!!"

Three of the lower-ranked adventurers were engulfed by the wall of flames, while the Vice Guildmaster and one other heavily wounded adventurer barely managed to dodge.

"Vice Guildmaster, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just got burns on my hands and feet... But who the hell is he!? Being able to cast advanced magic and even cancel incantations, just who is he?"

"I don't know... Wait! What about them!?"

"Human, should you be distracted?"

As Leviath withdrew the sword he had thrust into the back of the wounded adventurer, he addressed the Vice Guildmaster.

However, Shuray's attention was drawn more to the sword Leviath held than the reality of his four companions being killed in front of him.

"That... That sword belongs to Beth..."

Beth would never forget. With her penchant for embellishing purchased swords in poor taste, anyone acquainted with her would recognize the sword as hers.

"Beth? That adventurer, right? I borrowed a fine sword from her... and brought your companions here. Take them," she said, tossing two adventurer's heads toward the deputy guild master.

"W-What!?"

Shula, faced with the sight of her comrades' heads, stumbled backward, her face pale, and dampness spreading between her legs.

"My, my, wetting yourself? How indecent... Well then, it's time to end this, humans."

"W-Wait! I surrender! Please, I'll do anything, just help us!"

The deputy guild master, oblivious to his own blunder, continued to weep and pray to Leviath, beseeching him for help.

"Ufufu, even if you say that, it's troublesome."

"W-Why? We can sell this equipment..."

With a swift motion, Shula's head danced through the air, landing on the ground.

"Such a pity. My job is to dispose of failures like you."

~ Leviath's Perspective ~

"Now that the heads are dealt with, they won't be able to read our memories. Letting them speculate as they wish..."

Leviath burned the heads to ash, leaving the bodies untouched.

"Yet, my plan should have been flawless. How did Valdek reach the city? Is it because Guel is descended from heroes? And who was that white-haired woman we didn't see leaving the capital?"

Leviath pondered with folded arms but couldn't find the answers.

"Well, it's fine. I disposed of Grubeld, and the magic circles in the city are gone. Besides, losing one source of income won't trouble him much... He was nothing more than a pawn to us."

However, missing the chance to assassinate the Grand Guild Master of the Levant Guild was regrettable.

Not to the extent of despair. This was an "opportunity that came by chance" for us, though not a dangerous individual like a hero, if there's a chance to eliminate, we should.

Then why not let the humans in Gozus handle it? That way, our involvement won't be obvious. Success or failure, it doesn't matter either way.

"Hahaha... Good. When you die, Valdek, it'll be when his power awakens!"

Leviath chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand before disappearing into the night's darkness.

 

[End of Volume 01]